This invention is a continuation of Ser. No. 07/279,915 filed on 12/5/88 now abandoned which relates to home aquariums, and more particularly to those used to house turtles amphibians and other semi-aquatic animals.
Turtles and amphibians have been generally kept in relatively shallow aquariums, where periodic water changes were required in order to provide a clean environment. These shallow conditions did not provide the animal with sufficient exercise, nor did it allow for effective water filtration between successive water changes.
Attempts have been made to provide an aquarium in which there is a sufficient depth of water combined with a dry, land area. In U.S. Pat. No. 3,786,781, an enclosure intended for placement upon a conventional aquarium is disclosed to have a ramp which would allow the amphibian or turtle access to the dry portion of the assembly. Such a set up is cumbersome, and does not adequately suggest a means by which the water within the tank may be effectively filtered. U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,804,064 and 4,176,620 both provide for a dry area within a conventional aquarium where the water in the tank may be kept at a sufficient level to allow the amphibian or turtle adequate room to swim. Both designs, however, do not solve the problem of filtering the relatively large volume of water contained within the aquarium.
To solve the problem of keeping the water free of contaminants, some have suggested the use of submersible pump filters which are presently available for home aquariums. Such filters have the disadvantage of being relatively expensive and the filtering material which may be used within them is generally limited to foam. Submersible filters are also difficult to conceal and detract from the aesthetic appearance of the aquarium. In addition, the fact that these filters must be fully submerged in the water, makes them difficult to maintain, since they must be removed from the tank in order to change the filtering medium.
Closed system, canister type filters are satisfactory alternatives in a large tank set-up, but because of size and expense are impractical for smaller aquariums.
Another alternative for the hobbyist is the use of over the side syphon filters which are widely used for filtration of small to moderately sized aquarium set-ups. They are inexpensive, effective and easy to maintain. They also provide a wide choice of filtering media which may be used depending on particular needs, and since they are external to the tank, do not detract from the appearance of the aquarium. The limitation of these filters is that the amount of suction provided is generally low, and as a result the water level must be maintained within a few inches of the top of the aquarium. This does not pose a particular problem in an aquarium containing fish since the water is generally kept at a level very near the top of the tank. However, in an aquarium devoted to turtles and amphibians, where a land area is provided, these filters are ineffective since the water level must be significantly reduced to prevent escape of the animals.
Accordingly, it is a principal object of the present invention to provide an aquarium which would allow turtles and amphibians to live in both a water and land environment, while at the same time providing a manageable means for effective filtration of the water within the tank.
Another object of the present invention is to provide the aquarium with a dry, land area which is warm, and free of drafts, where the animal may dry out and bask, and at the same time prevent the animal from escaping the confines of the tank.
A further object is to provide enough water depth to allow the turtle or amphibian sufficient room to swim and exercise normally.
Other objects of the present invention are to provide an aquarium for semi-aquatic animals which is simple in design, inexpensive to manufacture and easy to maintain.